Here's a strange little news release, posted partly for amusement but mostly to underscore the reality that the world marketplace is changing fast in a globalizing economy ... anyone care to try to parse this?

Press Realize (sic)

Georgian Wine Lovers Club
April 1, 2006

Embargo on Georgian wines?! What is the next?

Federal service of Russian Federation on supervision in sphere of the rights of consumers (Rospotrebnadzor) imposed an embargo on import of Georgian and Moldavian wines.

Experts forecast that in the nearest future an embargo on Argentinean and Chilean wines import can be imposed by the Russian Federation. As Genadi Onishenko, the chief of Sanitary Department of Russian Federation, explain the reason of embargo is poor quality of wines from these countries. Accusations that Chilean and Argentina wines as well as Georgian wines are of a low-quality and can harm health, experts consider ridiculous. Chilean wines are considered as one of the best in the world, therefore statements of Rospotrebnadzor in their address are simply offensive.

As to Georgian wines during last years their quality has increased up to the world level what is prove by corresponding certificates of quality by independent laboratories.

Experts of the market agree with Rospotrebnadzor, that it is necessary to improve the control over quality of wines imported to Russia. But the way of the decision of this problem cause the doubts. Strengthening of the control over quality is necessary, but I do not support idea of an interdiction of import therefore as because of it can suffer diligent manufacturers, -says Cyril Butko, the director of marketing of Holding Gerrus Group.

In opinion of Vadim Drobiza press-secretary of Wine Market Members Association, Rospotrebnadzor first of all should control wines of domestic producers as their quality frequently causes doubts. In Tatarstan, for example, 72 % of the defective wines have been made in territory of Russia - Mr. Drobiz told.

How estimate the decision of Rospotrebnadzor?

In conditions when forged wines basically are made in territory of Russia to forbid imports testifies to incompetence of this Federal department.

Problem of falsification is especially actual for Moldavian and Georgian wines. Moldavian wines occupy 57% of a share of the Russian wine market and the Georgian wines - 7,5%. Researches show that 50-70 % of wines under brands of these countries are made in Russia and are forged.

I may have lost track of the discussions of this story on WLDG, Robin, but found an interesting analysis on "The Hill" today:

The conflation of politics and economics is apparent in the recent banning of wine imports from Georgia and Moldova. The Rospotrebnadzor federal consumer-protection service banned wine from both states in March because toxic impurities had allegedly been found. Russia is simply using economic means to pressure Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries with which it is on poor terms.

Just as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was urging Georgia not to politicize the issue by taking it formally to CIS bodies, the State Duma (parliament’s lower house) passed a resolution fully backing the ban.

United Russia — the Kremlin’s party in the Duma — put forward the resolution, which was passed with only two dissenters. Yet Andrei Savelev of nationalist Motherland said deputies were naive if they thought this was a public-health issue. As he pointed out, nobody required Duma support for the ban and the resolution had no legal force but was a useful political tool.

Whether the forging of this political tool was an independent initiative of United Russia in the Duma or urged by Kremlin advisers is not clear, but it shows the willingness of parliament to back an ill-thought-out economic policy, which again demonstrates arbitrary factors undermining market-based trade with Russia.

hi all, i been away. but i searched the forum and found this thread.
and whanted to add my "opinion".

first some news about georgia, russian alchol market is where 75 % of georgia alchol is going. with this ban georgian economy is sufferring much.

the prices on grape are ridiculasly lil.

for example
saperavi grape variety last year was : 0.80$ per kg
and now is 0.35$ per kg.

aleqsandouli(from which is made famous georgian brand xvanchkara) was last year 2$ and this year is 0.95$

and rqaciteli last year was 0.45$ and this year is 0.18$

that's just few examples

imagine how hard this hitted peasants.

the reason of BAN :

the reason of ban is purely politacal, Georgia and Russia are now in cold war. so this desision was made to harm georgian economy.

2nd. there is a paper in russia called, "Top Secret" it had an article which said that Federal Service of Security is trying to get it's hands on russian alchol market.

3rd. twice more of georgian wine was sold in russia then was made in georgia! lol that falsification was made in russia so would not it be right to stop falsification there instead of banning georgian wine?

yes and accusations about quality are plain stupid. you guys just don't know what is drunk in russia what kind of vodka, and they don't do anything about it so it's preatty clear quality got nothing to do with this political desicion.